


Lovebug

by TinyValiance



Category: iKON (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crack, Fluff and Crack, Idiots in Love, Love Confessions, M/M, double b are speechless over the edge and just breathless, her name is not mentioned in the fic but she deserves one, i got this idea when i went up north and lived amongst bug life, not exactly crack but meant to be lighthearted and comical, shes a good girl, thats it basically enjoy lovesick puppies and actual lovesick bobby, the lovebugs name is cindy and she is beautiful
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-22
Updated: 2017-09-22
Packaged: 2018-12-31 17:58:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12137985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TinyValiance/pseuds/TinyValiance
Summary: As it turns out, the love bug IS all it's cracked up to be. Hanbin thought it sounded nicer in that Jonas Brothers' song.Bobby dragged him to the counter and continued, “I think I’m gonna get chocolate and banana. You can get anything you want, okay? I’ll buy it for you because you look so cute today.”Hanbin’s blush-fever returned and he hoped it would just take mercy and kill him.





	1. Intro: Bobby

**Author's Note:**

> ♥ PLEASE READ! THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME!♥
> 
> 1\. I want to make it clear that these people in the story are just characters based on real people. This is my interpretation of them. My writing does not reflect on any real people involved in this story. Please do not repost this story anywhere or post a link to this story anywhere. Tumblr is the only exception. I do not want it on Twitter, Instagram, or anywhere a member of iKon or any other kpop star in this story can see it (if they see it on Tumblr, then whatever, Tumblr feels more private). Do not send this story to them. Please keep this story safe here! Respect their privacy and mine.
> 
> 2\. WARNINGS: swearing, sexual language, Koo Junhoe, a little bit of angst, encounter with a bug, descriptions of a bug bite, Bobby throws up near the end.
> 
> 3\. Please comment! No matter how long the story is up, I will always appreciate comments. I love all feedback. Nice comments are appreciated more than you know. Also, I am not perfect, I want to improve! If you think I could do something better in terms of characterization, grammar and wording (etc), please tell me. Take care and thank you for reading! xo.
> 
> 4\. Please do not take this too seriously omg. It is meant to be a crack fic. That being said, I did my best to keep the humour lighthearted and not offensive. I just wanted to mention that. Do not get too worried about the characters, everyone is fine, even Bobby. Hope u like it ~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Now I'm speechless  
> Over the edge, I'm just breathless  
> I never thought that I'd catch this love bug again  
> Hopeless, head over heels in the moment  
> I never thought that I'd get hit by this love bug again."  
> \- Lovebug, the Jonas Brothers
> 
> I always knew I would end up writing something based on a Jonas Brother's song and I am elated that it did not turn out to be a Jonas Brothers fanfic.

Camping was sort of fun, in its own way. Bobby could go without the bugs and the dirt, but he liked the outdoors, the experience with friends was nice, and some camp activities were enjoyable. This was supposed to be a post-tour healing retreat, and there were cabins this time, so maybe it would be really cool after all.

“Who’s sharing cabins?” a camp counselor asked.

“I get Jiwon hyung!” Hanbin sang.

Bobby’s heart fluttered. There was no one he wanted to room with more than his best friend in the world. He was even more thrilled that he did not have to share a room with Junhoe for fan service this time. He pulled Hanbin into a rough side-hug. Hanbin giggled and fell into Bobby’s side, wrapping his arms around the elder’s waist. Bobby could never say he disliked hugs, but Hanbin was so embarrassing with his skinship sometimes. Bobby just smiled awkwardly and tried to squirm free.

The two were led to their room and left alone to settle in and unpack before lunch. Bobby dropped his duffle bag beside his chosen bed. Hanbin did the same. They sat on their respective beds, facing each other. Bobby’s face broke into a smile.

“What?” Hanbin asked.

Bobby realized he had been staring a little fondly. Nothing wrong with that, right? He could think his best friend was cute. Hanbin _was_ cute, for a giant dork. He still shyly averted his gaze. “Nothing. I just can’t believe how ugly your bare face is.”

Hanbin chucked a pillow at Bobby’s face, but laughed along with him.

-♥-

Kim Hanbin’s Screech of Doom was never a pleasant sound to hear, but at 4am? Bobby had never known true terror until this moment.

He sat bolt upright, forehead breaking into a cold sweat. He could not see Hanbin in the darkness, but he knew that Hanbin was awake. Only Hanbin was capable of producing such an ungodly noise. Bobby fumbled around the bed for his phone. When he finally retrieved it, Hanbin had already screamed again – quieter this time, but still shrill as hell. Bobby quickly turned on his flashlight app.

Hanbin was standing by the door of their cabin, an expression of pure horror etched onto his face. Bobby could empathize.

“Bin-ah?” his throat was too dry, and his mind was too hazy from sleep, for him to say anything else.

Hanbin let out a noise of distress, high-pitched and shaky. Bobby thought he might have heard the younger boy ask for help. So he was really making Bobby get up, huh? The elder boy made a gruff sound of resentment before kicking off the covers, coaxing on his slippers, and trudging his way over.

“What?” he deadpanned.

Hanbin wordlessly pointed to the door, a few more tiny screams escaping his throat. Bobby shined the light on the doorframe—

“ ** _AH!_** ” he screamed, immediately recoiling backwards when hit with the sight of the **_BIGGEST GIANT ASS SPIDER_** _BOBBY HAD EVER SEEN HOLY FUCK,_ ALSO HE WAS PROBABLY TALKING OUT LOUD RIGHT NOW BUT HE COULD NOT CONTROL HIS TONGUE BECAUSE _SHIT **FUCK** THAT WAS A GIANT ASS_ —

“I KNOW,” Hanbin responded to Bobby’s spiel of mindless expletives. “PLEASE HELP.”

“WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?!” Bobby demanded. Why was Hanbin even awake right now!? “WHY ARE YOU AWAKE?”

“I have to pee so bad, hyung,” Hanbin complained. “But I can’t— ** _!!_** ” Hanbin just finished his explanation with a pointed look in Bobby’s direction and a gesture to the door.

Bobby looked to the door again— _Jesus fuck_ that was an unholy creature.

“What the hell am I supposed to do about that ** _??_** ”

“Hyung,” Hanbin whined, and his eyes were pleading. “Please, help me, you’re my b— best friend.”

That was an odd word to stumble over. Bobby tried not to be offended; Hanbin’s tongue was probably just freezing up in fear… yeah. Bobby looked to the door, shivered, and looked behind him to the small window on the wall of their cabin. “How about the window?”

“ _Hyung._ ”

“Do you _see_ another way out ** _?!_** ”

“I won’t fit through the window!”

“Think positively!”

“HYUNG PLEASE HELP ME.”

“Okay, I’ll give you a boost and then I’ll push.”

“NOT HELP WITH THE WINDOW,” Hanbin whined and squirmed. “ _Hyuuuung!_ ”

“I don’t know what to tell you, Hanbin!” Bobby held out his empty hands.

“PLEASE HYUNG, I’LL DO ANYTHING,” Hanbin begged. Hanbin was not one to beg, and it was kind of hot – no, cute – no— Bobby was just feeling a lot of things towards the leader right then. It was all blurry and convoluted and warped by trauma-induced arachnophobia, so honestly, Bobby did not even fucking know.

A knock on the door caused them both to scream. Poor Hanbin. Bobby answered, “ _BAD TIME_.”

Donghyuk’s voice shouted, “We can hear you guys from the cabin next door. Are you okay?”

“I HAVE NEVER BEEN WORSE IN MY ENTIRE LIFE, THANKS FOR ASKING,” Hanbin shouted back.

“WHAT?” Donghyuk shouted back.

“AH!” Bobby shouted at the two of them. “NOT NOW, DONGHYUK.”

“Uh, okay!” Donghyuk said. “Let me know when everything is okay!” The two heard the porch steps creak as Donghyuk went back to his own cabin.

Hanbin turned to Bobby and said, “He just made me pee a little.”

“Fuck, _fine,_ ” Bobby hissed. He ran to his duffle bag to find a weapon. “Wait, what if she’s like, important? Like royalty? What if her kingdom comes for revenge if—”

“NECESSARY RISKS,” Hanbin replied.

 _Fine,_ Bobby decided once and for all. He really was a fool for Hanbin if he would do this for him. He would probably do _anything_ for his best friend, to his dismay.

He picked up his shampoo bottle and wielded it like a sword, approaching the creature with utmost caution. Hanbin had his phone in his hand – he had probably dropped it on the floor after being scared by the spider, but he had retrieved it since, the brave soul, and was currently shining it on the Queen to End All Queen Arachnids. Remind Bobby to never go camping again.

Bobby got as close as he had ever been to the monster, raised his weapon, and—

“Wait, holy shit,” Bobby mused aloud, “is that even a spider?”

“What?”

“It’s only got one body,” Bobby pointed out. He did not know the technical term for the spherical parts of a spider’s body, but he thought Hanbin got the gist of what he was trying to say. “And it’s pink.”

“Okay, it’s a weird spider, so what?”

He supposed that was a fair point. Maybe it was more like a harvestman bug. Okay, no more playing around. Three, two, one…

Bobby bashed the creature into the door. He got it, right? He checked the bottle—

Hanbin’s Screech of Doom was not a pleasant sound, but it was certainly rivaled by Bobby’s.

The spider-creature had latched onto the bottle and was currently running at Bobby like the fucking Usain Bolt of the arachnid kingdom. Bobby threw that shit to Kingdom Come, screaming for his life all the while.

He dove into bed for his Pooh bear, then the two bolted outside. Hanbin just peed beside the cabin, and the two fled their Hell Chamber to sleep in Donghyuk and Chanwoo’s cabin instead. Having been awake and listening to most of their hyungs’ horror drama, they had no qualms as they welcomed the two shaking elders into their beds.

-♥-

The next morning, Hanbin, Bobby, Donghyuk, and Chanwoo used the sinks together in the camp bathroom. Hanbin and Bobby were still recovering, Donghyuk and Chanwoo were still treading lightly. Both of the older boys had jolted awake that morning from nightmares, and honestly, Donghyuk and Chanwoo could wait for an explanation. They were not evil. Hanbin and Bobby did not have to relive whatever happened last night until they were ready.

The situation made for an awkward morning routine.

“Uh…” Donghyuk spit and rinsed out his mouth. “We’re gonna… go.” He tapped Chanwoo to get the message across. Chanwoo got it, quickly spit and rinsed his mouth out, and agreed with Donghyuk.

“Yeah, uh,” Chanwoo said, “gotta get a seat for breakfast.”

It was literally just iKon at the camp for the two days they booked it for, but neither Hanbin nor Bobby stopped them.

Once they were alone, Bobby grumbled, “‘Healing’ my ass,” and spit out his toothpaste foam. “I’m fucking traumatized.”

“We’re going to the spa next time,” Hanbin agreed. “I don’t know why we thought this would be more fun just because there are cabins here. Camping is horrible.”

Amen to that. Hanbin spit out his toothpaste, lifted his head back up, and caught Bobby’s eyes in the mirror. Bobby’s cheeks flushed pink.

He was not sure why his heart started racing whenever he looked at Hanbin today. It was probably muscle memory because of the previous night, he decided. Hanbin did look beautiful today, though. He always looked beautiful of course, but today, Bobby could not repress those thoughts even if he tried (and oh my god, did he try). It was weird. His feelings were weirder than usual.

Bobby rinsed off his face and, because they had forgotten their towels in their own cabin, dried it off with his shirt. Pooh rested on the counter, however, because Bobby would never leave his dear friend behind.

“Hyung,” Hanbin gasped.

Bobby peeked out from under his shirt. Hanbin looked… astonished? Horrified? A mix of the two? Bobby knew his abs were impressive, but this feeling Hanbin displayed was difficult to decipher. His heart was really trying to beat out of his chest like a cartoon character at this point— _shit,_ were Hanbin’s eyes always this sparkly? He really needed to stop looking at Bobby like that. He needed to stop looking at Bobby in general. And Bobby really needed to stop looking back at him. Was it hot in there? He dropped his shirt and averted his gaze.

“What?” he asked.

Hanbin stepped into his space. Bobby’s breath caught in his throat. He wanted to grab Hanbin’s face and close the small distance left between them, kiss him until— _WRONG TRAIN OF THOUGHT,_ he told himself, **_REROUTE_** _._

Hanbin slowly lifted Bobby’s shirt. Bobby was suffocating on air, if that was even possible. Hanbin’s palm splayed across his abs, fingers trembling, and his overt nervousness was literally the only thing keeping Bobby from popping a boner right now.

“What?” he asked again. “Bin, what are you…?”

“You’re hurt,” Hanbin said, lips parted in shock.

Bobby quickly turned to look at himself in the mirror. Sure enough, there was a puncture wound on his hip. It was pink around the circumference, but otherwise did not appear irritated, and Bobby had not felt anything bite him. This mark did not hurt at all.

“Oh my god,” he said. “What the hell did that?”

“It must have been the spider,” Hanbin said.

“What?” Bobby asked. “It couldn’t have been.”

“Did you even see where it went before we ran away?”

“I—” Bobby thought about it, “no, but seriously, that thing could eat me alive! There’s no way it gave me such a little mark. It doesn’t even hurt.”

“Maybe your body went numb,” Hanbin suggested.

Not numb, but maybe his body _was_ reacting to it; that would explain a lot actually. Maybe it was spider venom making his heart race and his brain hallucinate those sparkly eyes. Yeah, that was a great explanation.

“Hanbin-ah, don’t freak out, but I think my fever just broke,” Bobby said. “My hands are sweaty, and I get dizzy when—” _when I look at you_. Bobby could not say that, so he said, “—when I turn my head.”

Hanbin, of course, freaked out. The freak out was low-key, but he was high-key a nervous wreck. He tried to keep his voice steady as he said, “Oh, okay, okay,” he brushed his hair back, other hand pressed over his heart, “okay, let’s just find the nurse, let’s – I don’t know where the nurse is, uh, let’s find manager hyung, and he can find the nurse. Yeah, that’s a good plan. That’s the plan.” He gingerly took Bobby’s hand in his own. “Let’s go.”

As soon as Hanbin touched Bobby’s hand, Bobby felt a strike of lightning hit his heart – a spark, a firework, a sex bomb perhaps – and he tumbled head over heels in love.

-♥-

 


	2. Outro: Bobby and Hanbin

The camp nurse was a kind, middle-aged lady with the patience of a saint. Lucky for Bobby, she was exactly what he needed.

Their manager waited outside the office, but Hanbin had demanded entry. The rest of iKon was told to continue their activities for the day, but they expressed their concern, and they were anxiously anticipating the results of Bobby’s health examination.

Bobby looked to be in a sort of daze, and it worried Hanbin sick. He also felt so guilty, because this was probably his fault. It was more than likely the Queen Arachnid that bit Bobby, and if not her, one of her loyal subjects, as Bobby had feared. He watched the whole examination while holding his chest and biting his knuckles. Bobby was cooperative, but he moved almost like a ragdoll. He even giggled and hiccupped when the nurse place her hands on his sides to check the organs there. God, Hanbin hoped Bobby was going to live.

After a few minutes that felt like hours, the nurse retracted her hands and tools. She shrugged and said, “I don’t know what to tell you. He’s fine.”

“Fine?” He asked. How could he be fine? He looked _drunk_.

The nurse shrugged again, moving her hands in an _I-don’t-know-what-to-tell-you-man_ fashion. “He wasn’t bitten by anything venomous that we have on record, so the bite is harmless. I would know that just by looking at it, though. It’s barely inflamed, barely punctured, and it’s not bruising,” she relayed. “Plus, his organs are all working fine, and he’s showing no signs of pain, not even when I touched the wound. How long ago did he get this?”

Hanbin shrugged. “It was around four in the morning, I think.” It was 8:10 in the morning by then.

The nurse nodded. “I really don’t think it’s anything to worry about, but if you are still concerned in a few hours, or Jiwon starts showing any symptoms, come back before you leave. Also, you can always go to a hospital near your home.”

“I’m love-sick,” Bobby said, and Hanbin could just hear the dopey smile on his lips. Hanbin blushed.

The nurse looked at Bobby, then back to Hanbin. She said, “Between the two of us… I don’t think a bug bite is causing this behaviour.”

“Oh?”

“It could be _the loooove bug_ ,” Bobby offered his input.

Hanbin tried so hard to ignore him. The nurse continued, “I think this might be caused by… a substance, rather than a bug.”

“Oh, really?” Hanbin asked, genuinely interested. “What substance?”

The nurse sighed. It clicked then. Hanbin gasped, scandalized. “Jiwon did _not_ do that,” he defended.

“Well then,” the nurse concluded, almost apologetic, “I’m afraid your friend is just an idiot.”

“I’m only a fool for you, baby,” Bobby argued, reaching out for Hanbin, but Hanbin stepped back, away from him.

Angry now, Hanbin snapped, “Jiwon, shut up.”

“You’re so sexy when you talk back.”

That was a punch to the heart. Bobby had stated before that he wants a partner that will talk back to him, and he had joked about Hanbin being his ideal type in front of fans, but he was literally in front of an ahjumma right now, in the nurse’s office. This was real life, and he was being so disrespectful. “That’s enough, Jiwon.”

“I’m just being honest.”

“Jiwon, I’m serious, stop.”

“ _In the naaame of looove_ ,” Bobby mumbled the song under his breath.

“I’m so sorry,” Hanbin apologized to the nurse. “I seriously have no idea…”

In the background, Bobby continued, ‘ _before you breaaak my heaaart_ ’, and admittedly, he sounded kind of nice, but Hanbin tried not to think about that. The nurse raised an eyebrow and asked, “No idea at all?”

Hanbin could not be here anymore. All the blood in his cheeks was giving him a fever. Jiwon was supposed to be the sick one here, not him.

“What about his sweaty hands?” Hanbin asked. “He’s sweating a lot, I felt them.”

The nurse just held her inquisitive, slightly suggestive look. “Really, you have no idea whatsoever?”

“Hanbin-ah is really smart~” Bobby said, “I’m sure he has an idea.”

 _Thanks for nothing,_ Hanbin wanted to say, but he did not want to dignify his childish behaviour with any response.

“Not one,” Hanbin resolutely said.

The nurse sighed and gave up, thank goodness. She helped Bobby sit up. Bobby could hold himself upright, but he was a little wobbly and out of it, and really did look like he was on some kind of substance. _Jesus Christ, Bobby,_ Hanbin thought, _what happened to you?_

Hanbin carried Bobby down from the examination table, and Bobby draped himself over Hanbin’s shoulders, not resting any weight on him. Bobby could walk completely fine without Hanbin’s help. It seemed like he just wanted to be a koala.

They awkwardly walked in sync until they got to the door, at which point Bobby leapt in front of Hanbin to hold the door open for him. Hanbin quickly thanked the nurse and all but ran out.

Their manager stopped Hanbin before he could speed-walk all the way home. “So?” he looked between Bobby and Hanbin. “Are you okay?” he asked Bobby.

“Better than ever,” Bobby responded. He was smiling so wide Hanbin could not even see the beautiful brown of his irises.

There was really nothing that Hanbin could say, except the facts. The nurse said the bite was probably not lethal, so that was the only news Hanbin had to give. Bobby’s… current state of mind was a whole different issue, and Hanbin wanted to handle it before he brought it up. “The nurse said the bite is harmless.”

“Oh, good,” their manager replied. He looked at Bobby. Bobby stared at Hanbin with his head tilted sideways, still smiling. “So what’s wrong with him?”

Hanbin inhaled, held his breath, then slowly exhaled. He got nothing. “I have no idea.”

-♥-

Bobby did not start feeling any pain or other symptoms associated with spider bites, but conversely, Hanbin would not say he was getting ‘better’.

Before they went home, they did rock climbing, then decorated their own stones to take home as mementos.

During rock climbing, Bobby laughed at and encouraged the other members, but not Hanbin – not to the same degree. He always made sure to cheer Hanbin on, giggle at him softly when he fucked up, and stand under him, ready to catch Hanbin if he fell. Hanbin blamed Bobby for distracting him and making him slip off the wall. Bobby just stared at him adoringly and told him he could do better next time.

During arts and crafts, Bobby acted very normal around everyone else – he took Donghyuk’s glue (because it squeezed out better, not to be mean), snatched sequins from Junhoe (because he needed sparkles, and again, not to be mean), laughed at Jinhwan’s rock art (okay maybe to be a little mean), and named his own rock Dwayne Johnson, successfully claiming the name before Hanbin could. Bobby seemed completely normal. The only indicator that anything was off was that, one, he doted on Hanbin the whole time, even offering to glue on some rhinestones for him, and two, he painted KJW + KHB in a heart on his own rock. He also bragged about Hanbin’s stone to the activity director. All that was just… a little too _showy_ for Bobby.

Bobby held Hanbin’s hand as they got into the company car, then refused to leave his side, even squishing into the backseat with him and cuddling him. Donghyuk sat on the opposite window seat, staring at them in awe. Yunhyeong, Chanwoo, and Junhoe, from the middle seats, all shared unsubtle looks with Donghyuk. Even Jinhwan tried to look back from the front seat and try to pick up on what the hell was going on. They knew about the bite, but they did not have… theories. They had no idea. How could they? This was so weird.

Outside the car, Jinhwan said, “There is something wrong with him.”

“I know,” Hanbin said. “It has to be the bug bite.”

“But the nurse said it’s not?”

“No, she said she doesn’t _think_ it is,” Hanbin corrected. “Just because she doesn’t know what the bug is, doesn’t mean it’s not the bug’s fault. It just means we have no answers.”

Bobby insisted on ushering Hanbin out of the car and into the building as well, and only backed off when Hanbin told him, sternly, to stop trying to carry his luggage. Junhoe was staring unabashedly by now, in sheer awe. Jinhwan grabbed his arm and hurried him along.

Hanbin decided it was not smart to take him to the hospital considering there was already one medical professional who thought Bobby was on drugs. It might do more harm than good.

It was dinnertime, now. Everyone hoped this was something they could flush out of his system with fluids and have him recovered by morning. They just had to get through the night.

“Jinan,” Bobby demanded, speaking with his mouth full, “pass the kimchi.”

“You’ve eaten all the kimchi,” Jinhwan said.

“I can see it right there,” Bobby argued.

“No, this is _our_ kimchi,” Jinhwan explained. “You already devoured your share.”

“You’re a kimchi monster,” Yunhyeong said.

Bobby smiled and shyly ducked his head. Regaining confidence, he raised his head, sniffled, and said, “Yah! Donghyukie, pass it!”

“Abusing your maknaes,” Donghyuk tsked and passed the bowl over. “You should feel ashamed.”

Bobby mockingly pouted and took the kimchi for himself, loading his plate with it. When he went in for another helping, Hanbin spoke up and said, “Are you going to eat all of that? I wanted some more.”

Bobby’s head turned to Hanbin, lips pouted from surprise. He looked remarkably kissable, and Hanbin buried that shit deep. Instead of taking it for himself, Bobby dropped the third helping back into the bowl and pushed it all to Hanbin. He resumed eating his food without a single word.

Hanbin looked down at the bowl. He suddenly did not feel like eating kimchi at all. He awkwardly took some, because it would be weird if he did not, and pushed the bowl back to the center of the table. He caught the smile on Chanwoo’s face – fond and knowing. Chanwoo looked down and continued eating. That kid was really suspicious; he always looked like he knew something you didn’t. Hanbin poked around at his food and forced as much down as he could.

Bobby noticed him not eating well. He picked up some rice and kimchi in his chopsticks and brought it up to Hanbin’s mouth.

“No thank you,” Hanbin declined.

Bobby frowned. “I’m worried about you,” he said. “It hurts me when you don’t have an appetite. I just want you to be okay.”

After that guilt trip, Hanbin could not refuse. He accepted the food and tried to suppress how intimate it felt. Bobby smiled, and his eyes shined bright, like he had just seen the most beautiful thing in the world. Hanbin would only rate himself a 6 on a good day, so that could not possibly be right. Bobby simply must have had really shiny eyes.

“Drink your water,” Hanbin commanded. Bobby obliged.

He also played footsie with Hanbin under the table all through dinner. Hanbin did not have the heart, or the strength, to kick him away.

Hanbin spent some time in the studio before heading to bed. He wrapped himself up in a secure blanket burrito.

Bobby was really fucking him up. It had been difficult for Hanbin to realize how he felt during training and their survival shows, and their recent tour had taken up his time and attention, but along the way, he knew that he developed feelings for Bobby. Now, in the lull of activity, Hanbin could be alone with his feelings to process them, and he discovered he liked Bobby a lot.

He felt like Bobby was mocking him now, with all this affection. Hanbin felt so weak that he could not be mad at Bobby for this shit, because he knew he was a sucker for it. It was like a dream come true. He knew it was too cartoonish and exaggerated to be real, though. This sucked and he needed this to stop.

“Bin-ah?”

Bobby’s voice startled Hanbin out of his sleepy reverie. He flipped around in his burrito to face the source of the voice.

“What?” Hanbin barked.

Bobby nervously played with his sleeve and looked at his feet. “Can I… sleep with you?”

Hanbin’s heart nearly melted. He asked, “Wh—why? Homesick?”

Bobby shrugged. “I’m always a little homesick. I just want to be with you.”

His voice was so steady and honest. It sounded just like Bobby all around – low and husky, words noticeably pushed out past bunny teeth, if you listened closely enough to hear the slight resistance. This was just Bobby. This was just like always. The only difference is that Bobby never asked for permission; he always felt comfortable enough to just crawl in. He wondered what made Bobby hesitant tonight.

“Yeah, sure,” Hanbin said. He uncurled from his burrito to let Bobby have some blanket.

“Thank you,” Bobby said, and he scooted under the covers. Hanbin lied on his back, just waiting for Bobby to get comfortable. He felt weirdly compelled to watch him. Bobby’s hands opened and closed, like he was itching to grab something. Finally, Bobby asked, “Can I hold you?”

Hanbin’s mushy, racing heart leapt into his throat. He coughed. “Uhm, why?”

Bobby played with the edge of the blanket. “Because I want to hold you.”

It was not like they had never fallen asleep in each other’s arms. They had been through a lot together. Bobby had just never _said_ anything like this. Hanbin said, “Yeah, okay, sure. Are you lonely?”

Bobby shuffled close to Hanbin and draped an arm over his stomach. Hanbin’s breathing hitched. Even after everything Bobby had put him through recently – all the theatrical, Romeo and Juliet level bullshit (minus the murders, but there was still time) – Hanbin felt comfortable. It was so messed up to him that he was probably going to forgive Bobby for playing with his heart like this, but their embrace felt so comfortable, so right. He could not be mad when he had nothing to be mad about. Hanbin was really a fool for Bobby, huh? This all sucked.

“Kind of,” Bobby admitted, and Hanbin remembered he had asked a question. Bobby sniffled. “I feel better when you’re around, but yeah, I’m lonely.”

“Jiwon…” Hanbin tried to stand his ground, “I know we’re close, but your behaviour is really… it’s really too much.”

Bobby blinked and pulled away from Hanbin to look at him. “What?”

Hanbin swallowed dryly and looked at the ceiling. “You need to stop. You can hug me and stuff, but… calm down, okay? It’s not funny after a certain point.”

Bobby curled up, hiding his face. “I’m sorry, Hanbin. I would never want to make you uncomfortable.”

“It’s okay,” Hanbin responded, way too quickly to ever respect himself again. “I mean… maybe it’s the spider bite. That’s probably it, right? Maybe it’s fucking with your dopamine levels or something.” He was kind of at a loss for other explanations.

“Yeah…” Bobby whispered. “Maybe.”

“Unless… it’s something else?” Hanbin tried.

“What do you mean?”

Bobby sounded so clueless. Hanbin decided then and there to stop expecting a confession, and stop breaking his own heart. He told his best friend to forget about it. Bobby sniffled.

“Don’t cry,” Hanbin said.

“I’m not crying,” Bobby said with a little giggle. “I’m just sick, you know that.”

Hanbin snorted. “You’re always sick.”

Bobby nodded. “I have a weak immune system.”

Hanbin gave a proper giggle. “Awh…” he cooed, and ran his fingers through Bobby’s hair to comfort him. Bobby’s eyes closed, and a blissful smile spread across his cheeks. He was so cute Hanbin wanted to cry.

Bobby mumbled, “I really am sorry, Hanbin. I never want to make you upset. I thought you like compliments. I just wanted you to be happy…”

“Shh,” Hanbin said. “Don’t worry, you make me happy.”

Hanbin promptly closed his mouth and swallowed his heart back down into his chest. Bobby just smiled. Hanbin pet Bobby’s hair until they both fell asleep.

-♥-

Sadly, their hopes were crushed the next morning when Bobby emptied his bladder but still stared at Hanbin like a lovesick puppy. On ecstasy. He did stop with the compliments, though. When asked about it by a curious Donghyuk, Bobby said he just did not feel like it anymore, like it was nonchalant, like he would have stopped anyway. Bobby was a mystery.

It was getting hard to blame this behaviour on a bug bite, but if the alternative explanations were a) Bobby lost his mind, or b) Bobby was messing with Hanbin’s heart, then Hanbin would gladly kid himself.

-♥-

Dance practice turned Hanbin into a nervous wreck; not out of the ordinary, but these were special circumstances. He was just waiting for Bobby to step out of line and do something madly affectionate. Please God, Bobby, not in front of the dance instructor. He had a feeling all of iKon was waiting for the same thing. It made for a very uncomfortable lesson.

Bobby did not pick up on the tension. He was too busy admiring Hanbin in the mirror and complimenting him for doing his moves well, with the same dopey smile on his face all the while. Bobby actually did not mess up his moves; he displayed skill and knowledge as always, but he just… he just seemed to be on his own Earth, one where Hanbin was his sun.

When their lesson ended without incident, everyone collectively exhaled in relief. Bobby skipped over to Hanbin and gave his hand the tiniest of nudges with his own knuckles. “Hey,” he said shyly. “You did great today. I look to you whenever I can’t get the moves right, and you show me what to do. You’re a great leader.”

Hanbin thought his heart could go for track and field at this point. That was such a high compliment, he did not know what to do with it. “Uh… thanks.”

Bobby nodded, then jogged out of the studio to catch up with Chanwoo and Yunhyeong.

Junhoe, Jinhwan, and Donghyuk stayed behind. “ _Seriously,_ ” Junhoe shouted, his voice echoing off the walls. “What the hell is happening? Did he **_confess_** to you?”

Hanbin balked, then said, “No?” He did not mean to phrase it as a question, but honestly… it was a question.

“Is he finally _trying_ to?” Junhoe amended. Hanbin was taken aback again. Jinhwan shrugged as though the question had been directed at him.

“He’s not doing anything he doesn’t do already,” Donghyuk pointed out. “He’s just doing it to a _way_ more intense degree.”

“What?” Hanbin demanded. “He does not act like that with me.”

“Yes, he does,” Jinhwan said, as though Hanbin was an idiot for not knowing that.

“Name one time,” Hanbin challenged.

“You two are always cuddling,” Junhoe said. “It’s just you who always starts it, because he’s shy or something.”

Jinhwan added, “He does compliment you as a leader, just not excessively. He does it when you need to hear it.”

Donghyuk finished, “And come on, don’t even try to pretend you never see that look in his eyes when he stares at you. He just doesn’t hide it now.”

“It’s like he finally decided to be honest,” Jinhwan said, “just… in the worst way possible.”

Hanbin tried to hide his face. “He hasn’t confessed.”

“Then he’s trying to,” Junhoe confirmed.

“No, you know Jiwon,” Hanbin said. “He’s forward. If he wanted me he would just ask me out.”

“This is all so strange,” Donghyuk stated the obvious. “Hanbin, just be honest with us. Is he on drugs?”

“I would tell you if I knew,” Hanbin shrugged. “All I have to go on is a bug bite.”

“What did the bug look like?” Jinhwan asked.

“Ah, I heard there’s a spider whose bite gives you a boner,” Junhoe mentioned. “Maybe it’s like this.”

Hanbin covered his face with his hands.

“I don’t think Jiwon hyung has been hard for two days, June,” Donghyuk said. “Also, you die from that kind of spider bite.”

“Die Hard,” Junhoe, Jinhwan, and Donghyuk all said in unison.

Hanbin tried to cover his face more. “I already researched as much as I could. It seems like he’s just going through a skinship phase. Unless…” Hanbin gasped, “are you guys _pranking_ me?! Is everyone in on this?!”

“No,” they all said in unison again, dead serious. Hanbin nodded and forgot that idea.

“Hanbin-ah, I asked you a question.” Jinhwan reiterated, “What did the bug look like?”

“I… I don’t know,” Hanbin said. “It was just big. I don’t even know if it was a spider.”

“That’s really helpful, hyung,” Junhoe deadpanned.

“I did not _ask_ to go through this!” Hanbin defended.

“You couldn’t have even looked at it?”

“I looked at it too much.”

“Apparently not enough.”

“I’m scarred for life, Junhoe!”

“Men should be brave!”

“You weren’t there, you didn’t see it!”

“I’m just saying—”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about!”

“Guys, please,” Jinhwan shut them up. “Maybe there _is_ a bug that makes you feel like you’re in love or something. We’ll get the other two in on this and do some research.”

“Or,” Junhoe offered, crossing his arms like he was over the entire world, “you could just confess and live happily ever after.”

Hanbin thought it was pointless to argue at this point. He sighed and hunched his shoulders. Jinhwan supportively walked him out and back to the dorm.

-♥-

“Yo, Donghyuk,” Hanbin entered the room, “did you take my face lotion?”

Bobby was chilling on Donghyuk’s bed with him, and the two had their school notebooks open. Hanbin swallowed – Bobby looked so good with his hair hanging over his face like that, in a low-neck shirt and sweatpants. He was effortlessly beautiful.

Hanbin did not notice Bobby was staring back until the boy said, “Wow… you look beautiful.”

For a moment, it sounded like Bobby had just read his mind. Apparently they had both been thinking the same thing. Donghyuk’s hand flew up to cover his mouth as he snorted. Bobby either did not notice or did not care.

Hanbin looked down at his outfit. He was only wearing a white t-shirt and grey sweatpants, and the outfit was not particularly flattering. Only Bobby could work the lazy look. Bobby’s tone of voice had made Hanbin question if he was even wearing casual clothes. “In _this_?”

“In anything,” Bobby said, “but especially this.”

Donghyuk had both hands on his cheeks, smiling open and wide, screaming silently. Hanbin pointedly ignored him. “Uhm… thank you.”

“Want to study with us?” Bobby offered. “I could help you with Japanese or English.”

“Uhm…” Hanbin toyed with the hem of his shirt. “I only came here for my lotion…”

“It’s on the dresser,” Donghyuk answered. His eyes were glassy, like he was about to burst into tears. Hanbin wanted to tell him to be invested in his own damn love life.

“Thanks,” Hanbin answered. He collected the bottle and left. In his peripheral vision, he saw Bobby wave him off.

That night, Bobby entered Hanbin’s room again. He sat on the edge of the bed. “Hey,” he whispered, quieter than last night since Donghyuk was there now.

“Hey,” Hanbin whispered back.

“Your skin looks perfect.”

“Thanks. It’s a good brand of lotion.”

“Can I sleep here again?”

Hanbin physically and emotionally could never refuse. “Sure.”

Bobby happily crawled into bed and wrapped his arms around Hanbin. Hanbin did not object to that either.

Hanbin’s could get used to this, in another life. Bobby was being kind to him, showing him love and affection, and explicitly wanting to be around him. He was doing everything that Hanbin was not brave enough to admit he wanted. It was one thing to give all the affection he gave, but it was a whole other thing to accept it, and another whole other thing to accept it from Bobby.

Bobby sniffled, then cuddled into Hanbin’s side and wished him a good night. Hanbin shivered and said the same.

-♥-

Yunhyeong, Bobby, and Hanbin went on a convenience store run the next day. They decided to stop for proper ice cream, not something from the convenience store freezer. Excitedly, Bobby grabbed Hanbin’s hand and pulled him into the ice cream shop, talking animatedly about the different flavours they could get together.

Bobby asked Hanbin, “What do you want, baby?” and maybe that was just his happy voice, but to Hanbin, his tone was downright _sultry_.

Yunhyeong loudly coughed. Hanbin’s tongue froze up in shock.

Bobby dragged him to the counter and continued, “I think I’m gonna get chocolate and banana. You can get anything you want, okay? I’ll buy it for you because you look so cute today.”

Hanbin’s blush-fever returned and he hoped it would just take mercy and kill him.

Yunhyeong pouted and said, “Hey, don’t I look cute today? Buy me ice cream too!”

“ _Ahh_ ,” Bobby fake-complained, then said, “fine.” He dropped his voice to a lower murmur, soft enough that nearby people could not hear. “Not cuter than my Hanbinie, though.”

A shiver ran down Hanbin’s spine. God, he wanted to get used to this.

“Stop teasing,” Hanbin said instead.

Bobby just gave him a wink. Hanbin’s soul felt like melted ice cream.

Hanbin choose chocolate and strawberry. With their ice cream, the three headed home. Along the way, Bobby periodically picked up Hanbin’s spoon and fed him. Hanbin would tell him to stop, except for the fact he knew Bobby liked to feed people, even on his rocker, and he wanted Bobby to be happy. It could be worse.

“Can I try some banana?” Hanbin asked.

Bobby gave him a smirk. He almost looked smug. He said, “Wait until we get home.”

Hanbin did not know what the hell was supposed to mean, but it made his limbs feel tingly.

It was not too cold outside, but their frozen dessert made their bodies feel colder, so they ran inside the lobby as soon as they could. By this point, they only had a little bit of ice cream left, and the consistency was going runny. Hanbin realized he had to get in on that banana before it was too late.

“Hey,” Hanbin said, “can I try some of the banana _now_?”

Bobby scooped up the remainder of his banana ice cream. “Sure.” Instead of offering it, he spread it across his lips, then puckered his lips at Hanbin. With a cheeky smile that reached his eyes, he said, “Try it.”

Before this point, Hanbin had not realized that Bobby’s fervent displays of affection had a cognitive process behind them, but clearly, Bobby had _planned_ this. Hanbin stalled, shocked.

Yunhyeong, lips dropped in an ‘o’ shape, turned away from the pair when he was caught staring by Hanbin. Yunhyeong said he would meet them back in the dorm room. Hanbin simultaneously wanted to keep Yunhyeong there and tell him to run away faster.

Hanbin turned his attention back to Bobby. His lips were still puckered up. Bobby was so lucky he might be poisoned, because if not, Hanbin might have to deck him.

Hanbin sucked in a breath, said ‘fuck it’ in his head, and leaned forward, giving Bobby a peck. It was less than a peck actually – he just touched their lips together. There was no kissing at all, it was just, like… a boop. It was just a little lip boop. Hanbin just wanted Bobby’s banana (ice cream). It was nothing.

He licked it off his lips, and Bobby watched his tongue move. He said, “Mm, that’s pretty good.”

“You’re so fucking sexy,” Bobby responded, nearly out of context. Hanbin choked on the little bit of ice cream on his tongue, nodded, and started speed-walking to the dorm. Bobby quickly followed.

-♥-

After their lessons, the group decided to have a movie night at the dorm. Bobby sat beside Hanbin on the couch, cuddling him and feeding him popcorn.

“What do you want to watch?” Bobby asked. He popped a piece of popcorn into Hanbin’s mouth.

Hanbin inelegantly crunched on the popcorn and said, “I don’t know. Let’s let the drama experts choose.”

“That could be any of us,” Yunhyeong said.

“We all know who they are,” Donghyuk said, looking pointedly around the room to Jinhwan, Junhoe, and Yunhyeong. Yunhyeong was the only one who took offense, but he was the only one who was supposed to.

Bobby giggled. “I want to watch a comedy.”

“Oh, we can do that,” Jinhwan said. He beckoned Junhoe over to help him choose.

Hanbin asked, “A comedy?” That was good. He was half-expecting Bobby to choose a romantic drama, or a Shakespearian play or something.

Bobby nodded. “I like comedy.”

“I know,” Hanbin responded, and smiled, because Bobby was just too damn cute, and now he was thinking about Dumb and Dumber.

Bobby’s smile widened until his eyes disappeared into crescents. “I like when you smile,” Bobby said. “Your smile is so beautiful. It makes comedy movies even better.”

Hanbin’s smile nervously faltered. Bobby reached up to touch his cheek.

“I always wanna see you smile…” Bobby whispered, like it was all for Hanbin, only for Hanbin.

It did something to his heart. Hanbin’s smile loosened, so it felt more natural, more carefree. Bobby gently stroked Hanbin’s cheek with his thumb, his smile wide and satisfied. Bobby has this **_charm_** about him that makes you want to believe him. Just once, Hanbin let his guard down and let himself pretend. He let himself believe that this was real. He laughed.

-♥-

A couple days later, someone knocked on the studio door. Terrified that it would be Bobby, Hanbin swept his music notes into a pile and slammed his notebook shut. He did not want the elder to uncover the mass of lovesick lyrics written for him. When he was confident they were hidden well enough, Hanbin said, “Come in?”

Chanwoo opened the door. Hanbin let out a sigh of relief. “I told everyone to leave me alone, Chanwoo-yah.”

“I know,” Chanwoo responded, “I’m sorry.” He shut the door behind him. “I just wanted to tell you something.”

“Is it about Jiwon hyung?” Hanbin asked.

“Uhm… yes and no,” Chanwoo replied. “It’s about you too.”

Hanbin motioned with his hand for Chanwoo to continue.

Chanwoo walked into the room. “I came late to the group, so, I wasn’t really friends with anyone at the time we debuted. I was still the new guy.”

“Oh, Chanwoo…” Hanbin consoled, “don’t feel that way. We all really liked you.”

“No, I didn’t come here for comfort,” Chanwoo stopped him. “I have a point.”

Hanbin let him continue.

“I didn’t know you guys that well,” he said, “but hyung, even I noticed that Jiwon hyung has always liked you, and that you have always liked him.”

That took Hanbin aback. He asked, “Why are you telling me this?”

“Jinhwan hyung told me you’re probably too nervous to tell him you like him, because you’re afraid that Jiwon hyung is messing with you. Is that true?”

Well, there was that out in the open. Hanbin looked down at his hands and shrugged a shoulder. “Well… that… and he might be affected by the bug bite.”

“Hyung… no offense, but are you really still pretending that this is caused by the bug bite?”

Hanbin opened his mouth to respond but came up with nothing. He swallowed dryly.

Gently, Chanwoo said, “I think you’re both idiots.”

“ _Yah!_ ” Hanbin raised his head. “Idiots who are _older_ than you!”

There was that fond and knowing smile again. It had a mollifying effect, in an eerie way. Chanwoo said, “I don’t think a bug is making Jiwon hyung have feelings for you, and I think you know that too. He liked you long before this. Haven’t you noticed that none of us care that Jiwon hyung is all over you now? We’re not surprised that this is happening. It just freaked us out at first because hyung is never so open about his feelings for you. Personally, I think he’s trying to tell you something. I would take a chance.”

Hanbin’s heart swelled with affection. What a good maknae. That was really nice, for a moment. “Wait…” Hanbin realized, “so you think he really feels this way?”

“Yeah, what’s wrong with that?”

“You think he’s behaving like this on purpose?”

Chanwoo paused. He ruffled his hair, toyed with his sleeve. “Uh… honestly, I’m not sure. It is really out of character for Jiwon hyung to act like this, but… there’s no such thing as a love-bug.”

Those were both fair points. Hanbin was at a loss again, as per usual. “How do I get him to back to normal?”

“I don’t know, just, like, talk to him about your feelings?”

“Can’t.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know, it’s a sickness.”

Chanwoo sighed. “Then… make him do the talking.”

-♥-

The next day, Hanbin and Bobby were left alone in the dorm. The other members helped arrange that. It was finally time for confrontation. Hanbin danced around the topic so hard that the two actually ended up dancing.

“No, it’s like this.” Bobby corrected Hanbin’s footwork for one of their dances. Hanbin helped choreograph this, for fuck’s sake, how did he not remember? He stomped his foot in the same way Bobby had. Bobby laughed and said, “Close.”

Hanbin could do better than ‘close’. He followed Bobby through the choreography, through the stomps, steps, bends, spins, and—

Hanbin spun the wrong way. The two came to a dead stop only inches apart from each other. For a moment, they only stared. Then Bobby’s hand came up to cup Hanbin’s cheek. He brushed his thumb so delicately over Hanbin’s cheekbone, Hanbin only felt the tickle of skin ghosting over skin. A chill ran down his spine.

The world stopped. Bobby just… stood there, unmoving. His eyes were wide and dilated. If his behaviour was anything to go by, Bobby had been awaiting this moment for days. He could just close the distance between them… but he did not move a muscle.

Chanwoo was right. Bobby was clearly waiting for something, probably for Hanbin to take a hint. He had to be.

“What?” Hanbin asked, breathless.

Bobby opened his mouth to talk, but nothing came out. He was speechless. “I…” he finally croaked out, and broke into a wide grin, “I can’t believe how ugly your bare face is.”

That threw Hanbin right off. His eyes widened, blinked rapidly. “What?”

Bobby tittered, fixing Hanbin’s hair, “So ugly.”

“Oh my god, you _bastard!_ ” Hanbin shouted, and made a show of pulling away from Bobby without putting any strength into it. “You _have been_ faking this whole time ** _!_** ”

Bobby’s lips pouted and parted, stunned. “What?”

“Don’t play around anymore,” Hanbin spat out. “What, I was beautiful to you, and now I’m just ugly again? All of a sudden?” He pushed Bobby’s chest, but again, with no strength. “What are you trying to do? What was the point of all this? To make fun of me ** _?!_** ”

Bobby shook his head and said, “N-no, you’re still beautiful. I don’t— I don’t know what you’re talking about, Hanbin, I-I’m not trying to do _anything_ …”

He looked so innocent. It was driving Hanbin crazy. “How can I be ugly and beautiful?”

Bobby shrugged. “I don’t know. You’re _both_ , to me.”

“Yeah, well…” Hanbin grumbled, anger dissipating in seconds, “you too, to me.”

Effervescent giggles bubbled over Bobby’s lips, and he leaned forward, fitting himself into the space between their bodies. “I know. You’re so cute when you’re grumpy.” He sounded, and looked, so happy, like Hanbin had never even snapped at him, like everything was fine.

Hanbin looked down, and Bobby let him, just holding the younger boy’s cheek gently in his palm. After recomposing, Hanbin looked back up – enough was enough. Determined, he asked, “Do you like me?”

“Yes,” Bobby answered. “I like you.”

Well that was easy. “How long?”

“A while, now. A few years.”

“Have you been acting like this on purpose?”

“What?”

“You act like you’re in a daze. I want to know the truth.”

“I _am_ in a daze.”

That was not clarification, but it was something. Quietly, Hanbin asked, “Do you love me?”

Bobby’s breath caught in his throat. He held their mutual gaze. Hanbin thought he might die like this, in Bobby’s arms, a romantic tale for the books. Then Bobby broke the silence and said, “I don’t know. I want to. I hope I do.”

Hanbin swallowed past the lump in his throat. He said, “I like you too.”

Bobby smiled again, sniffled. “Can I kiss you?”

Hanbin was only afraid to take advantage of him. How could Hanbin know for sure that Bobby was actually poisoned? How could he know what would put an end to this behaviour? Hanbin had to try whatever he could to stop this. He had to go for it.

Instead of replying, Hanbin leaned forward and closed the distance between them. Bobby pushed his lips between Hanbin’s, enveloping his bottom lip fully. Hanbin could feel every little spark and lovesick desire in this kiss, plus feelings buried deeper, feelings that made Bobby go slow, that made his hand tremble where it continued to rest so gently on Hanbin’s cheek. Bobby was putting everything he felt into this. Hanbin fell into Bobby’s hold, letting go of caution, weightless. Bobby held a hand on Hanbin’s waist to keep him steady.

Their lips slowly parted, but stayed pressed together, lingering feather-light against one another’s. Hanbin did not want to open his eyes yet. He wanted to stay like this for long enough to ensure that every sensation would be engraved in his memory forever.

Abruptly, Bobby pulled away first. Hanbin opened his eyes. He saw Bobby run to the garbage bin and vomit up something pink and glittery.

“Oh my god,” Hanbin ran to his side. “Hyung, are you okay?”

Bobby nodded. “Mm, yeah,” he croaked out, then mumbled something incoherent.

“What?”

He shook his head, “It’s venom, it has to be venom. I think it’s from the bite. I feel better now. I feel normal again.” He leaned over the bin, clutching the sides of it. “God, that sucked.”

Hanbin’s blood ran cold. He did not like how Bobby phrased that at all, not after what just happened between them. “What are you talking about?”

Bobby straightened his back, coming out of his hunched position. He shot Hanbin a glare. “You really think I would act like that if I wasn’t poisoned? I couldn’t control myself.” He covered half his face with one hand and sniffled. “It was fucking embarrassing, Hanbin.”

Hanbin stepped back. He did not want to believe that. “That embarrassed you? Feeling that way about me is embarrassing to you?”

A look of shock crossed Bobby’s features, and his hand fell. “What? Hanbin, God no, not that, just… _behaving_ that way was embarrassing. That’s not how I wanted you to find out…”

“Find what out?”

“That I **_like_** you, _dummy!_ ” Bobby snapped. “It’s not how _I_ wanted to find out that I like you, either.”

Hanbin blinked. “Oh… you didn’t know you liked me?”

“Obviously not,” Bobby grumbled, “or I would have kissed you a long time ago. I prefer to be upfront about my feelings.”

The blush returned to Hanbin’s cheeks, happy and flustered as ever. He never knew he could be _this_ happy that Bobby was sassing him again. “Actually, I kissed you.”

Slowly, a smile crept onto Bobby’s lips. “I started it.”

Hanbin gave a little laugh and turned his gaze to the floor. This whole situation was pretty ridiculous. “So… it was the venom, but it also wasn’t.”

“Yeah, that’s pretty much right.”

Hanbin felt so shy right now. “Want to kiss again?”

He heard Bobby step closer. From his view of the floor, Bobby’s feet came into view. Hanbin looked up to meet his eyes. They were so sparkly.

“I just threw up a love potion like a fucking Harry Potter character, and that’s what you want to ask me?”

“Wait,” Hanbin quickly stopped him. “Brush your teeth first.”

Bobby laughed in his face, and his breath smelled oddly… sweet. He said, “I will, but it actually doesn’t taste that bad. It’s like, fruit, sugar, and…” he smacked his lips, “flower petals. That’s actually not so good.”

“Um,” Hanbin said, “gross?” and phrased it as a question, because he honestly was not sure how he felt about that. Bobby shrugged.

They went to the bathroom together, just to be able to kiss again as soon as Bobby was done brushing his teeth. When their eyes met in the mirror, Hanbin remembered that day at camp, after their surprise sleepover at DongChan’s cabin.

“Hyung,” Hanbin said, “lift your shirt.” They had been checking on the wound periodically, and it was healing, but Hanbin wanted to check Bobby’s condition now, after the recent development.

Bobby gagged a little on toothpaste foam as he laughed. “Give me a second, Hanbin, I’m not even done brushing my teeth yet.”

Hanbin laughed and shoved him. “Pervert, I mean let me see the bite mark.”

Bobby gave him permission. As Hanbin pulled up his shirt, Bobby rolled his hips, giving Hanbin a little sexy dance. Hanbin slapped his abs, and in retrospect, Hanbin was not sure why he thought that would defuse the situation.

The wound had healed, but in its place there was a light pink, heart-shaped scar. It looked more like a birthmark. It made Hanbin smile. “You’re healed,” Hanbin announced.

Bobby rinsed out his mouth and said, “Ah, good.” He dried off his mouth on a towel. “It might have been cool to bang while I was like that, though. Might feel like doing it on ecstasy.”

Hanbin gave him a proper shove. “You should _not_ want that.”

“Don’t worry,” Bobby said. “I’m only high on your love.” He then violently cringed at his own words. Hanbin groaned. Bobby continued, “Yeah, that was horrible, I’m healed. Hey, you know there’s a spider whose bite gives you a raging boner?”

Hanbin cringed. “Yes, please don’t bring that up. Also, you die from that kind of bite.”

“Aish,” Bobby laughed, and pulled Hanbin close by the younger boy’s hips. “Die Hard.” Hanbin slapped his arm. Bobby would not stop. “Guess we’re lucky I didn’t get bitten by that. We wouldn’t have much time left. That would be a shame…” His hands felt their way around to rest above Hanbin’s ass. “We would have wasted all this time.”

Hanbin did not want to talk about this. He shoved his face into Bobby’s chest. Bobby laughed at him lightheartedly and apologized.

Despite himself, Hanbin snorted out a laugh and turned his head to rest his cheek on Bobby’s chest. “Don’t ever fucking do that to me again, oh my god.” Bobby promised he would try not to, even though it was a little out of his control. “So… you really liked me?”

“I really _like_ you, present tense.”

“I mean,” Hanbin clarified, “before you were bitten? Have you honestly liked me for years?”

“Yeah, I really have,” Bobby said. “I was dumb for not realizing that sooner. I think we were just working too hard to think about it…”

“Yeah, I think you’re right,” Hanbin said. “That, and we’re both idiots.” He gave Chanwoo acknowledgement where it was due.

Bobby giggled. “Dumb and Dumber.”

Hanbin said, “Also… thank you for saving me from the bug.”

Bobby placed a kiss on Hanbin’s head. “Anything for you.”

Hanbin stayed in place, content.

“Hey,” Bobby said softly. “I worded something wrong earlier. I was just… I was kind of freaking out. When I said, ‘I couldn’t control myself’, I meant to say, ‘I didn’t _want_ to control myself’. What I did… it’s what I feel, and what I said is what I feel.”

He placed his fingers under Hanbin’s chin and gently titled his face upward. A cherry tree blossomed in Hanbin’s chest and burst in an explosion of petals. He thought he could even taste it on his tongue; fruit, sugar, and flower petals.

Fulfilling Hanbin’s wishes, Bobby leaned down and reconnected their lips. Hanbin kissed him back, slow and sweet.

They kissed until the Earth resumed spinning and they had to break for air. Hanbin let his cheek fall back down onto Bobby’s chest, arms hugged around his body. Bobby swayed them, as though they were dancing.

Hanbin looked up. “I still think we should go to the hospital to make sure you’re actually better.”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea.”

Hanbin nodded and dropped his head again – just five more minutes of this. The swaying recommenced, and under his breath, Bobby sang an old Jonas Brothers song about catching a love-bug. Hanbin peacefully swayed along. Bobby’s singing voice was really nice.

(For reassurance, they did go to the hospital five minutes later, and the doctors confirmed that Bobby was okay.)

-♥-

The group met up while Bobby was at a private vocal lesson.

“So?” Hanbin sat on Jinhwan’s bed. He tossed Dwayne ‘the Double B Rock’ Johnson back and forth in his hands, careful to not jostle the sequins. He liked to hold it when Bobby was not around – it was a physical comfort, something solid. “What did you find?”

Jinhwan reported, “We didn’t really find anything that matches – or, matched – Bobby’s behaviour.”

Hanbin had also come up with nothing. He sighed.

“However,” Jinhwan continued, “we dug a bit deeper.”

“Oh?”

Donghyuk reported, “We decided, just for fun, to look into the concept of a love-bug. Not the real ones, but like, the concept of one. We came across this myth page, and we had to translate it from English, so this is all rough information—”

“Wait, time-out,” Hanbin stopped them. “A love-bug?”

“Just listen to this,” Yunhyeong said.

Donghyuk continued, “Apparently, in some mythology, the bite of a love-bug kicks up the love chemicals in your brain so much, it becomes impossible to ignore your feelings for the person you are attracted to. You feel compelled to express your love for that person as openly as you feel it in your heart.”

Hanbin blinked. “Seriously?”

“Seriously,” Junhoe said, “which means he definitely likes you, and he is definitely being honest with you.”

“Why didn’t he say that until I asked him?” Hanbin said.

“The venom is just… an amplifier,” Jinhwan explained. “Jiwon wouldn’t do anything with the venom that he wouldn’t do without it. You both still had shit to work out.”

“So he _wants_ to be that affectionate?” Hanbin asked incredulously.

“Mm, maybe not,” Donghyuk said. “My theory is oxytocin – just a shit-ton of oxytocin. Plus, he knows _you_ like cuddling. Maybe it was a combination of both. I will mention, though, that Jiwon hyung has more of a problem with the creepy shit you do, rather than skinship itself.”

Hanbin scoffed, trying not to be offended by that. He would not consider his affection issues to be ‘creepy shit’. Sometimes he just wanted to feel the delicate touch of another, was that a crime?

“It only effects the chemical reaction of love,” Donghyuk said. “Like, just the feelings. He did what he wanted to do. It kind of seemed like he was going through the stages of love, right? Honeymoon phase, comfortable phase, unconditional love… that sort of thing. I don’t know, I’m not a love scientist. According to the research, he is just really in love with you.”

“Wahhh~” Chanwoo cooed. Donghyuk and Yunhyeong looked like they fully agreed.

“Assuming this is real,” Hanbin clarified.

“Right,” Jinhwan confirmed, “assuming this is real.”

There was a time Hanbin did not believe that Jiwon could ever feel the same way about him, but recently, every line they had drawn between them had been blurred. Weirder shit had happened. All in all, this was acceptable. Still, you could not even pay him to go camping again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading. Take care! xo


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